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Press Release

Wheeling Man Convicted For Illegal Possession Of A Firearm

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of West Virginia


1125 Chapline Street, Federal Building, Suite 3000 ● Wheeling, WV 26003
(304) 234-0100 ● Contact: Chris Zumpetta-Parr, Public Affairs Specialist



Defendant alleged to have Fired Shot after Fight

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA - A Wheeling man may be headed back to federal prison after admitting to the illegal possession of a firearm as part of a shooting incident that occurred last summer.

U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld, II, announced that CORDALE A. WILLIAMS, 32 years old, entered a plea of guilty in federal court today to the charge of “Felon in Possession of a Firearm” resulting from an incident that occurred last June at the 7-11 convenient store on Market Street in Wheeling. WILLIAMS was recently released from prison after serving time for a federal drug trafficking conviction and was still on supervised release at the time of his latest crime.

According to testimony offered at the plea hearing this morning, Wheeling Police officers responded to a gunshot being fired after midnight on June 22, 2012, outside of the 7-11 store and upon arrival learned that WILLIAMS had been in a fight with another man over a woman. Officers learned that at some point in time during the fight WILLIAMS obtained a gun from a friend and then fired it at the person with whom he had been fighting, but failed to strike the man. WILLIAMS then chased after the man before coming came back to the 7-11 and dropping the firearm on the ground. Much of the incident was captured by a surveillance camera that was located in the area.

Due to his prior conviction for “Possession with Intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine within
1000 feet of a School” WILLIAMS was not permitted to possess a firearm.

WILLIAMS faces up to ten years in prison for his conduct, as well as the possibility of additional prison time for violating the terms of his supervised release. He was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the scheduling of a sentencing hearing by Judge Frederick P. Stamp, Jr.

The case was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod J. Douglas. It was investigated by the Wheeling Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Updated January 7, 2015